1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an expansion joint used in bridges or elevated roads, and more particularly, to a method of installing or exchanging a rubber seal for an expansion joint, which is capable of preventing secondary damage to a lower structure due to traffic jam caused by traffic control and delayed exchange of a damaged rubber seal member by improving a rubber seal for collecting rainwater and foreign substances in a structure exchangeable independently from the expansion joint.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a relatively long bridge having a plurality of piers has a plurality of deck slabs divided in a longitudinal direction thereof in order to deal with expansion and shrinkage of the bridge caused by temperature variation. Expansion joints are installed between the deck slabs.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a structure of a conventional expansion joint for a bridge and an installation state of a rubber seal.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional expansion joint for a bridge includes upper cover plates 101a and 101b installed at opposite ends of the deck slabs to be coupled to each other and expandable according to temperature variation, anchor bolts 102 for fastening the upper cover plates 101a and 101b to after-cured concretes 105, reinforcement iron rods 103 for increasing a fastening force between the anchor bolts 102 and the after-cured concretes 105 and reinforcing strength of the after-cured concretes 105, and a rainwater and foreign substances collecting rubber seal 104 fixed to the after-cured concretes 105 at both ends thereof. Designated by reference numeral 106 are reinforcing rods disposed in the deck slabs of the bridge.
In the conventional expansion joint for a bridge having the structure as above, after anchor-coupling the rubber seal 104 to a concrete slab before installing the upper cover plates 101a and 101b, the upper cover plates 101a and 101b are installed and nuts are fastened to the anchor bolt 102, thereby completing installation of the expansion joint. Therefore, when the rubber seal 104 is damaged, the upper cover plates 101a and 101b need to be opened to exchange the damaged rubber seal 104 after traffic control. In addition, the damaged rubber seal may cause rainwater leakage and thus additional damage to a lower structure.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a structure of another conventional expansion joint for a bridge and an installation state of a rubber seal.
Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional expansion joint for a bridge is inserted into a gap between opposite upper plates, and includes main bodies 201 expandable depending on temperature variation, anchors 202 for fixing the main bodies 201 of the expansion joint to after-cured concretes 205, reinforcement iron rods 203 for increasing a fastening force between the anchors 202 and the after-cured concretes 205 and reinforcing strength of the after-cured concretes 205, and a rainwater and foreign substance collecting rubber seal 204 installed at the after-cured concretes 205 integrally with the main bodies 201. Indicated by reference numeral 206 are reinforcing rods disposed in the deck slabs of the bridge.
In another conventional expansion joint for a bridge having the structure as above, when the rubber seal 204 is damaged, it is impossible to exchange only the damaged rubber seal 204, like the conventional expansion joint of FIG. 1. Therefore, the after-cured concretes 205 are first broken and the main bodies 201 of the expansion joint are removed. Then, new main bodies 201 of the expansion joint are installed again, the reinforcement iron rods 203 are distributed again, after-cured concretes 205 are poured and cured, and then, vehicles can pass therethrough after curing. Therefore, another conventional expansion joint for a bridge gives rise to several problems such as traffic control for many hours due to such maintenance, increase in maintenance cost caused by exchange of the entire expansion joint, and reduction in lifespan of the bridge due to frequent repairs. In addition, late maintenance of the damaged part causes leakage of water and thus secondary damage to lower structures. Moreover, even though the main body 201 of the expansion joint is maintained in good condition, the entire expansion joint has to be exchanged due to the damage to the rubber seal 204, thus remarkably increasing maintenance cost.